Sharks rise to the challenge

The Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks participated in the first Island Swimming Long Course Medley Challenge on May 11-12. This meet was the brainchild of Olympic coach Randy Bennett who wanted to hold a meet that truly reflected the “Long Term Athlete Development Model.”

The meet did reflect and highlight good aerobic base development (distance freestyle) coupled with solid technique (all strokes) and being age/stage relevant (different standard for each age group/gender).

The Sharks did not disappoint. With cumulative scores in all four strokes deciding overall rankings, Brooke Lamoureux (14) came up second in the 13-14 age category while teammate Jordyn Ryan (13) came in third. For the boys, Ben Neufeld came second in the 13-14 category, even after just finishing a hard week of training with the Winskill Dolphins.

Also attending the meet were: Jay Ryan Arends who dropped 9.1 seconds on her 400 free. Sisters Joyce and Tyra both swam well, especially with their well-split 200 freestyles.

The cheers from Comox Valley were probably loudest when Amelia Elder touched the wall with a solid time in her 400 free, breaking her into the provincial AAA standard – she’s worked hard to earn her spot at UBC Provincials in July.

Emma Neufeld’s 200 back and free were well split, and Gabrielle Wolfe swam five out of her six races in personal best times. Janaya Ryan, at 10 years of age, swam a well-paced 400 free – her first long course (50 metre basin) as well as knocking off an astounding 15.52 seconds in her 200 IM.

The Sharks thank all their sponsors for their support. Check us out online at www.sharks.bc.ca.